What To Look For In A G.I. Joe Action Figure?

In 1959 the Barbie doll was unleashed on American girls in addition to their trend-conscious parents, and the expression “fashion doll” was enshrined in our vocabulary. Fashion dolls joined the ever-growing subcategories of dolls from baby dolls to china dolls which had one universal attribute – they were all for girls. Another great alternative is the Gamo Air Rifles.

In 1964, Hasbro launched a series of military-clothed figures supposed to be a boy-friendly variant of the Barbie doll. G.I. Joes were never described as dolls, even in the very first advertising, merely since they were so undoubtedly meant for boys. The term “action figure” was coined, and to this very day a humanoid piece of plastic which was obviously designed for fighting was referred to as an action figure.

The initial G.I. Joe action figures were more specifically four different figures attired as members of the four branches of the department of defense. The phrase G.I. are the initials for Government Issue, which became a common monicker for U.S. Soldiers during WWII.

Every single G.I. Joe was sold with a uniform and cap for the applicable branch of service. Each figure also came with a complete line of tools and weapons needed for members of their branch of service; for example, the soldier would feature an optional rifle and web gear which were sold either separately or as part of a more substantial set. Each G.I. Joe figure had a World War II theme, even though their uniforms and accessories were closer in style to the recently fought Korean War. Another great product to consider is the Gamo Air Rifles.

The early military men were the same size as the Barbie dolls of the time; 11 1/2 inches.By the1970s, the military men had came with a new hand style designed to grasp their own weapons including rifles and rocket launchers. The action figures had then shrunk to 8″ tall to be competitive in the rest of the action figure market which was at the moment overwhelmed by the Marvel Comics superhero action figures. In yet another nod to their latest rivals, the military men were now called “Super G.I. Joe”.  During the 80s, Joe shrank again, to 3 3/4 inches, and then grew to 12 inches again in 1991.

A happy result of all this expanding, downsizing, re-branding and the temporary revival of older product lines is that you are now able to find a G.I. Joe action figure in almost any size Hasbro has ever produced. The normal action figure is at this point a 6” figure and the majority of characters are priced at below $10, nevertheless some 12” collector G.I. Joes are on the market, and there is even a 16” Duke figure wearing an accelerator suit that costs $30.

Of course, the quantity of accessories and vehicles has expanded exponentially, seeing as we currently have practically 50 years of weaponry to draw from not to mention any 22nd century devices that the designers at Hasbro may dream up. Quite a few younger boys – and many middle aged ones, as well – love fighting and winning wars with their G.I. Joe action figures. Just don’t call them dolls. Another nice option is the Gamo Air Rifles.


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This entry was posted on Friday, June 4th, 2010 at 4:48 am and is filed under Rifle Scopes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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